BACKGROUND: China has made significant progress in medical accessibility and quality over the past decades, and quality improvements in gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy have been consistent. The study aimed to describe the status quo of gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy in the Chinese mainland based on the data from the National Clinical Improvement System (NCIS) and the Hospital Quality Monitoring System (HQMS). METHODS: Data were extracted from the NCIS and the HQMS. Data analysis included general information from the Department of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy centers, management of inpatients and outpatients, and annual volume and quality indicators of digestive endoscopy. Acute pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease, and cirrhosis were identified as priority diseases and were subjected to detailed analysis. RESULTS: Data from 4620 and 7074 hospitals were extracted from the NCIS and HQMS, respectively. In 2023, 9.6 gastroenterologists, 6.7 endoscopists, and 37.3 gastroenterology beds per hospital nationwide were observed, achieving 19,252.4 outpatient visits, 1615.2 hospitalizations (97.0 for acute pancreatitis, 146.1 for gastrointestinal bleeding, 40.2 for inflammatory bowel disease, and 111.4 for cirrhosis), and 9432.7 digestive endoscopic procedures per hospital. Overall, the quality of practice improved significantly. The proportion of early cancer among gastrointestinal cancers increased from 11.1% in 2015 to 23.4% in 2023, and the adenoma detection rate during colonoscopy increased from 19.3% in 2019 to 26.9% in 2023. Regarding priority diseases, hospitalizations increased, and 31-day unplanned readmission rates decreased between 2019 and 2023. The median hospitalization costs and median proportion of medication costs decreased for acute pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and cirrhosis. However, it increased for inflammatory bowel disease. CONCLUSION This report evaluates the status quo and development of gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy in the Chinese mainland, providing guidance for future quality improvements.
Humans ; China ; Gastroenterology/statistics & numerical data* ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal/statistics & numerical data* ; Endoscopy, Digestive System/statistics & numerical data*

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of endoclip papillaplasty (ECPP) for preventing recurrent choledocholithiasis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1 941 patients who underwent ERCP for choledocholithiasis in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. A total of 250 patients who received ECPP were assigned to the ECPP group, while 251 matched controls were selected via 1∶1 year-stratified sampling into the control group. After follow-up, 209 ECPP cases and 190 controls were ultimately included in the analysis. Stone removal success rate, incidence of perioperative complications, and postoperative choledocholithiasis recurrence were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the risk factors for choledocholithiasis recurrence after ERCP.Results:Both groups achieved 100.0% stone removal success rate. There was no significant difference in the incidence of intraoperative perforation [0.5% (1/209) VS 1.1% (2/190), χ2=0.01, P=0.934], postoperative hyperamylasemia [21.5% (45/209) VS 17.4% (33/190), χ2=1.10, P=0.295] or post-ERCP pancreatitis [3.8% (8/209) VS 8.1% (9/190), χ2=0.20, P=0.653] between the ECPP group and the control group. The ECPP group showed significantly lower bleeding rate [5.1% (11/209) VS 12.3% (23/190), χ2=5.98, P=0.014] and choledocholithiasis recurrence rate [10.5% (22/209) VS 18.9% (36/190), χ2=5.68, P=0.017] compared with the control group. The multivariate logistic regression identified dilated common bile duct diameter ( OR=1.881, 95% CI: 1.101-3.213, P=0.021) as an independent risk factor for choledocholithiasis recurrence, while being female ( OR=0.482, 95% CI: 0.266-0.875, P=0.016) and ECPP ( OR=0.497, 95% CI:0.278-0.887, P=0.018) were protective factors. Conclusion:ECPP effectively reduces choledocholithiasis recurrence rate and bleeding risk after ERCP. ECPP and being female serve as protective factors for choledocholithiasis recurrence, while dilated bile duct diameter is an independent risk factor.

Objective:To analyze the prevalence, trends in disease burden, and risk factors of esophageal cancer in various provinces of China from 1990 to 2019.Methods:Utilizing data from the 2019 global burden of disease study, the disease burden of esophageal cancer of 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, as well as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region of China from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed. The disease burden of esophageal cancer in China was described with the number (and incidence) of cases, the number (and mortality) of death, and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) and their age-standardized rates. Joinpoint regression analysis and t-test were used to evaluate the annual percent change and the average annual percent change (AAPC). Scatter plots and Spearman correlation coefficients were performed to analyze the correlation between the disease burden of esophageal cancer and the socio-demographic index (SDI), as well as DALY in each province. Results:In 2019, there were 278 121 new cases of esophageal cancer and 257 316 deaths in China, increased by 60.13% and 45.70% respectively compared with 1990. The top 3 provinces with the highest age-standardized incidence of esophageal cancer were Sichuan Province (25.96/100 000), Jiangsu Province (23.80/100 000), and Fujian Province (21.98/100 000). From 1990 to 2019, except for Jiangsu Province and Sichuan Province, the age-standardized incidence in other provinces showed a declining trend. The age-standardized mortality and DALYs of esophageal cancer decreased in all provinces as well as in Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of China. The attributable risk factors of esophageal cancer caused deaths in China mainly included smoking, alcohol consumption, high body mass index, and low fruit intake, accounting for 91.38% of all the cases. With the increase of the SDI, the age-standardized rates of DALY in high incidence areas of esophageal cancer (Sichuan Province, Jiangsu Province, Fujian Province, Henan Province, Chongqing City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Shanxi Province, and Anhui Province) demonstrated a trend of initially decline and then an upward. In contrast, the age-standardized rates of DALY of esophageal cancer in other provinces, as well as in Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of China, showed a trend of initially upward and then decline. The age-standardized rate of DALY of esophageal cancer showed a negative correlation with SDI ( r=-0.315, P<0.001). From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer generally demonstrated a downward trend. The AAPC was -1.43% ( t=-19.16, P<0.001) for incidence and -1.83% ( t=-29.63, P<0.001) for mortality, respectively. It is projected that by 2044, the actual number of new esophageal cancer cases in China will increase from 278 121 in 2019 to 291 206 in 2044, and the actual number of deaths will increase from 257 316 to 275 856. Conclusions:In recent years, the disease burden of esophageal cancer in China remains a serious status, with significant differences in geography and gender. It is projected that by 2044, the number of new esophageal cancer cases and deaths in China will continue to increase. Effective strategies and policies are urgently needed to reduce the disease burden.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of endoclip papillaplasty (ECPP) for preventing recurrent choledocholithiasis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1 941 patients who underwent ERCP for choledocholithiasis in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. A total of 250 patients who received ECPP were assigned to the ECPP group, while 251 matched controls were selected via 1∶1 year-stratified sampling into the control group. After follow-up, 209 ECPP cases and 190 controls were ultimately included in the analysis. Stone removal success rate, incidence of perioperative complications, and postoperative choledocholithiasis recurrence were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the risk factors for choledocholithiasis recurrence after ERCP.Results:Both groups achieved 100.0% stone removal success rate. There was no significant difference in the incidence of intraoperative perforation [0.5% (1/209) VS 1.1% (2/190), χ2=0.01, P=0.934], postoperative hyperamylasemia [21.5% (45/209) VS 17.4% (33/190), χ2=1.10, P=0.295] or post-ERCP pancreatitis [3.8% (8/209) VS 8.1% (9/190), χ2=0.20, P=0.653] between the ECPP group and the control group. The ECPP group showed significantly lower bleeding rate [5.1% (11/209) VS 12.3% (23/190), χ2=5.98, P=0.014] and choledocholithiasis recurrence rate [10.5% (22/209) VS 18.9% (36/190), χ2=5.68, P=0.017] compared with the control group. The multivariate logistic regression identified dilated common bile duct diameter ( OR=1.881, 95% CI: 1.101-3.213, P=0.021) as an independent risk factor for choledocholithiasis recurrence, while being female ( OR=0.482, 95% CI: 0.266-0.875, P=0.016) and ECPP ( OR=0.497, 95% CI:0.278-0.887, P=0.018) were protective factors. Conclusion:ECPP effectively reduces choledocholithiasis recurrence rate and bleeding risk after ERCP. ECPP and being female serve as protective factors for choledocholithiasis recurrence, while dilated bile duct diameter is an independent risk factor.

Objective:To analyze the prevalence, trends in disease burden, and risk factors of esophageal cancer in various provinces of China from 1990 to 2019.Methods:Utilizing data from the 2019 global burden of disease study, the disease burden of esophageal cancer of 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, as well as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region of China from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed. The disease burden of esophageal cancer in China was described with the number (and incidence) of cases, the number (and mortality) of death, and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) and their age-standardized rates. Joinpoint regression analysis and t-test were used to evaluate the annual percent change and the average annual percent change (AAPC). Scatter plots and Spearman correlation coefficients were performed to analyze the correlation between the disease burden of esophageal cancer and the socio-demographic index (SDI), as well as DALY in each province. Results:In 2019, there were 278 121 new cases of esophageal cancer and 257 316 deaths in China, increased by 60.13% and 45.70% respectively compared with 1990. The top 3 provinces with the highest age-standardized incidence of esophageal cancer were Sichuan Province (25.96/100 000), Jiangsu Province (23.80/100 000), and Fujian Province (21.98/100 000). From 1990 to 2019, except for Jiangsu Province and Sichuan Province, the age-standardized incidence in other provinces showed a declining trend. The age-standardized mortality and DALYs of esophageal cancer decreased in all provinces as well as in Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of China. The attributable risk factors of esophageal cancer caused deaths in China mainly included smoking, alcohol consumption, high body mass index, and low fruit intake, accounting for 91.38% of all the cases. With the increase of the SDI, the age-standardized rates of DALY in high incidence areas of esophageal cancer (Sichuan Province, Jiangsu Province, Fujian Province, Henan Province, Chongqing City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Shanxi Province, and Anhui Province) demonstrated a trend of initially decline and then an upward. In contrast, the age-standardized rates of DALY of esophageal cancer in other provinces, as well as in Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of China, showed a trend of initially upward and then decline. The age-standardized rate of DALY of esophageal cancer showed a negative correlation with SDI ( r=-0.315, P<0.001). From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer generally demonstrated a downward trend. The AAPC was -1.43% ( t=-19.16, P<0.001) for incidence and -1.83% ( t=-29.63, P<0.001) for mortality, respectively. It is projected that by 2044, the actual number of new esophageal cancer cases in China will increase from 278 121 in 2019 to 291 206 in 2044, and the actual number of deaths will increase from 257 316 to 275 856. Conclusions:In recent years, the disease burden of esophageal cancer in China remains a serious status, with significant differences in geography and gender. It is projected that by 2044, the number of new esophageal cancer cases and deaths in China will continue to increase. Effective strategies and policies are urgently needed to reduce the disease burden.

Objective:To quantitatively analyze the primary research characteristics and keywords of international and domestic papers in the field of capsule endoscopy with bibliometric methods, and to illustrate the progression of capsule endoscopy research and offer insights for researchers in this domain.Methods:The Stork and visualized software CiteSpace were used to search and analyze the literature on "capsule endoscopy" in the English database of PubMed and the Chinese database of CNKI from 2002 to 2022.Results:A total of 6 011 English articles were identified in the PubMed database during the specified period. Both the number of publications and their citation frequencies displayed an upward trend on a global and domestic scale. The growth rates of global and domestic English publications were 5% and 15%, respectively, with major contributions coming from the United States, Japan, China, Italy and Germany. Key areas of global research interest included magnetic capsule endoscopy, colon capsule endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, small bowel capsule endoscopy, capsule endoscopy images, and obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, etc. A total of 2 027 articles were retrieved in the CNKI database, with top three research institutions including Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University; Department of Gastroenterology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University; School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Emerging research keywords encompassed artificial intelligence, deep learning, and guidelines.Conclusion:The study reveals a gradual increase in global research activities related to capsule endoscopy, with China demonstrating significant international academic influence in this field.

Objective:Artificial intelligence-assisted esophageal cytology was used to develop and validate a risk prediction model for screening esophageal precancerous lesions.Methods:This study was a secondary analysis of data from the esophageal cancer screening trial (EAST). A total of 17 294 subjects were included who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and artificial intelligence-assisted esophageal cytology screening at 39 tertiary or secondary hospitals and 5 community service centers in areas with high incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in China from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Subjects ( n=14 415) screened in the hospital constituted the hospital opportunistic screening cohort, which served as the training set. An artificial intelligence-assisted esophageal cytological risk prediction model (LightGBM model for short) was developed based on light-gradient boosting machine (LightGBM) machine learning algorithm. Subjects undergoing screening at 5 community health service centers ( n=2 879) constituted a community screening cohort, which served as a validation set. The diagnostic efficacy of LightGBM model for esophageal precancerous lesions in the community screening cohort was evaluated by using pathological results of endoscopic biopsy as the golden standard. Results:The LightGBM model, trained in the opportunistic screening cohort, exhibited an area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.93 (95% CI: 0.91-0.95) for detecting precancerous lesions. The cutoff value of the ROC curve was determined as 0.08 based on the maximum Youden index. The sensitivity and specificity of LightGBM model were 91.0% (95% CI: 86.9%-95.1%) and 86.2% (95% CI: 85.7%-86.8%), respectively, when the risk prediction score was >0.08 as the screening criterion for precancerous lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of LightGBM model for precancerous lesions in the community screening cohort were 95.2% (20/21), 87.5% (2 502/2 858), and 87.6% (2 522/2 879), respectively. Conclusion:The artificial intelligence-assisted esophageal cytology risk prediction model showcased remarkable sensitivity and specificity in screening for esophageal precancerous lesions, underscoring its potential for widespread adoption and application in esophageal cancer screening.

Objective:To investigate the safety, feasibility and accuracy of esophageal sponge cytology in esophageal carcinoma screening in high-incidence districts.Methods:Opportunistic screening for esophageal carcinoma was conducted on individuals aged 40-75 years with high-risk factors for esophageal carcinoma and visited out-patient clinic in Lianshui People's Hospital from May 2021 to June 2022. A new esophageal cell collector independently developed in China was used for esophageal sponge cytology sampling followed by cytopathological analysis. Atypical squamous cells or more severe lesions were defined as positive esophageal sponge cytology. Then gastroscopy was performed, and all suspicious areas under the endoscopy were biopsied for histopathological examination. Gastroscopy, biopsy histopathology and esophageal sponge cytology were conducted blindly in pairs. Outcome measures included adverse reactions during sampling, subject tolerability (using a visual simulation score), sampling quality, and diagnostic efficacy of esophageal sponge cytology using gastroscopy plus biopsy histopathology as the gold standard.Results:A total of 1 590 patients completed the screening program. During esophageal sponge cytology sampling, no serious adverse events were observed, and the adverse reactions were mainly manifested as vomiting during sampling [0.31% (5/1 590)] and sore throat after sampling [2.45% (39/1 590)], all of which resolved spontaneously without further medical intervention. The majority of subjects [98.62% (1 568/1 590)] reported good tolerance during the procedure. After sampling, 1 526 (95.97%) subjects had completely expanded sponge material, meeting the standard of good sampling quality. The scanning analysis of the digital pathology system showed that the number of sampled cells in 1 590 subjects ranged (2.01-4.00)×10 6, with a median of 3.48×10 6 cells, which could meet the requirements for interpreting cytological results. Using the positive esophageal sponge cytology for the diagnosis of esophageal carcinoma including high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 98.57% (69/70), 91.51% (1 391/1 520), 34.85% (69/198), 99.93% (1 391/1 392), and 91.82% (1 460/1 590), respectively. Conclusion:Esophageal sponge cytology presents promising diagnostic efficacy for esophageal carcinoma screening, offering a simple, safe, convenient, and effective approach in high-incidence esophageal carcinoma regions.

Background::Early detection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) can considerably improve the prognosis of patients. Aberrant cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation signatures are a promising tool for detecting ESCC. However, available markers based on cell-free DNA methylation are still inadequate. This study aimed to identify ESCC-specific cfDNA methylation markers and evaluate the diagnostic performance in the early detection of ESCC.Methods::We performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) for 24 ESCC tissues and their normal adjacent tissues. Based on the WGBS data, we identified 21,469,837 eligible CpG sites (CpGs). By integrating several methylation datasets, we identified several promising ESCC-specific cell-free DNA methylation markers. Finally, we developed a dual-marker panel based on methylated KCNA3 and OTOP2, and then, we evaluated its performance in our training and validation cohorts. Results::The ESCC diagnostic model constructed based on KCNA3 and OTOP2 had an AUC of 0.91 [95% CI: 0.85–0.95], and an optimal sensitivity and specificity of 84.91% and 94.32%, respectively, in the training cohort. In the independent validation cohort, the AUC was 0.88 [95% CI: 0.83–0.92], along with an optimal sensitivity of 81.5% and specificity of 92.9%. The model sensitivity for stage I–II ESCC was 78.4%, which was slightly lower than the sensitivity of the model (85.7%) for stage III–IV ESCC. Conclusion::The dual-target panel based on cfDNA showed excellent performance for detecting ESCC and might be an alternative strategy for screening ESCC.

Background::Evaluating the impact of digestive system diseases is vital for devising effective prevention strategies. However, comprehensive reports on the burden of digestive system diseases in China are lacking. Our study aimed to provide an overview of the burden and trends of digestive system diseases from 1990 to 2019 in China and its provinces.Methods::This cross-sectional study utilized the Global Disease Burden Study 2019 to estimate the incidence, mortality rate, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life disability, years of life lost, and changes in the burden of digestive diseases across Chinese provinces from 1990 to 2019. The analysis of disease burden primarily examines the characteristics of sub-disease distribution, time trends, age distribution, and sex distribution. Additionally, we compared provincial age-standardized DALYs for digestive diseases with the expected rates based on the socio-demographic index (SDI).Results::In 2019, there were 499.2 million cases of digestive system diseases in China, resulting in 1,557,310 deaths. Stomach cancer, colon and rectal cancer, and esophageal cancer are the top three diseases associated with mortality and DALY related to digestive system diseases. Meanwhile, cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and gallbladder and biliary diseases are the top three kinds of diseases with the highest prevalence among digestive system diseases. The risk of gastric cancer sharply increases among men after the age of 40 years, leading to a significant disparity in burden between men and women. As the SDI increased, the DALYs associated with digestive system diseases in China and its provinces showed a downward trend.Conclusion::Our study highlights the inverse correlation between DALYs associated with digestive system diseases and the SDI.